TSA to restore services to Klamath airport


HERALD AND NEWS: Commercial service will return to the Crater Lake-Klamath Regional Airport in Klamath Falls after the Transportation Security Administration said it would resume screening services there.

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The Crater Lake-Klamath Regional Airport has been working to restore commercial service since carrier SkyWest left the airport in June 2014. Last fall, the city of Klamath Falls received a commitment from Alaska-based carrier PenAir to bring back commercial service with daily flights to Portland. However, the TSA had stopped providing screening services at the airport after SkyWest’s departure. After the TSA initially refused to bring back federal screening at the airport, the Oregon congressional delegation became involved, pressing the agency to reconsider.

In February, Merkley, Wyden, Walden and DeFazio led a bipartisan, multi-state coalition of Senators and Representatives to introduce the Treating Small Airports with Fairness, or “TSA Fairness,” Act, which would require the TSA to restore screening services at airports like Klamath Falls and other small airports around the country facing similar circumstances. The TSA Fairness Act passed the U.S. House of Representatives in a unanimous vote last week, and passed the U.S. Senate earlier this week with strong bipartisan support as part of a broader aviation bill.

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